


Summertime

by KadiRose0101



Series: The Killer's Daughter [13]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:15:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27555946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KadiRose0101/pseuds/KadiRose0101
Summary: Sirius and Euphemia work on rebuilding their relationship after him being gone for twelve years. They take a small trip to enjoy the sun.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Daughter
Series: The Killer's Daughter [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997173
Kudos: 10





	Summertime

"There is no such thing as a 'broken family.' Family is family, and is not determined by marriage certificates, divorce papers, and adoption documents. Families are made in the heart."  
\- C. Joybell

13\. Summertime

The family walked into the dining room and saw food prepared and steaming on the table. They all took their seats before digging into the food. Everyone had been starving from a long day of traveling and were ready to rest for a little while. However, there was much to discuss between the group.

"Where should I start?" Euphemia questioned, wondering where her aunt was going to want to begin.

Andromeda looked over to her. "How about from the start? I didn't receive many letters from you this year, so I'm a bit clueless at the moment."

She gave her a guilty smile. "Well, the start of the year was pretty mundane and I had started researching the animagus process in the library, which apparently Madame Pince noticed and told Professor McGonagall. She pulled me out of divination class and offered to teach me how, but that I would need to register with the ministry." She began to explain.

"McGonagall offered to teach you? That's amazing," Ted spoke with gleeful eyes. "I'm not surprised though, you've always been so intelligent and you've definitely proven to have excellent marks." She blushed at the praise she received from her uncle. "McGonagall doesn't just choose anyone to take aside and teach a special skill."

Euphemia nodded. "It was nerve-wracking. I was thrilled, but also terribly nervous. It went without flaw and then I did the meditation process and found out that my animal was a grim wolf just like dad. The potion had an adverse reaction though and I passed out for a day before waking up in the hospital wing. And then on my birthday, there was an electrical storm so we had to do the transformation then," she paused and looked over at Remus.

He sighed. "It didn't go as planned," Remus spoke.

"What do you mean 'it didn't go as planned'?" Andromeda asked.

"When I did the meditation, I saw that the wolf was angry like it was absolutely feral. On that first transformation, you don't have control, the animal that you transform into does. It was aggressive," she said and her father spoke up.

"How bad was the damage?" Sirius pushed. Euphemia pointed a finger at the scar crossing her face. "That was all the damage?" She shook her head no, in an ashamed sort of way. She pushed up the sleeves of her shirt and her forearms were covered in long scars deep scars. Everyone except Remus inhaled sharply at the sight of them and tears sprang to Euphemia's eyes. She pulled down her sleeves instantly, looking down at her lap.

"I know, they're ugly." She stated as if it were a matter of fact.

Sirius leaned forward and grabbed her hand across the table. "Darling, they're not ugly. We were just shocked since they looked so deep." She nodded and looked back up at her father. "Can they see your animagus?" She smiled and stood up.

"I need a little more space, can we use the lounge?" Euphemia asked and they agreed. They walked into the lounge and she moved the coffee table out of the way. She walked into the now open part of the room. She closed her eyes and imagined herself in her wolf form, the distinct features that pointed her out.

A few moments later, she was standing in the middle of the lounge with her family around her while she was in her animagus form. Her small wolf figure looked up at the people surrounding her with a sheepish look. They all looked unbelievably proud as she stood before them. Sirius knelt down to her level and looked into her silver eyes with a look of love. He scratched behind her ear and she seemed to almost purr. A few seconds later, Sirius was in his animagus form and he was in her head.

Pup is beautiful, he said, the simplistic words of being in wolf form familiar to her now.

Her body turned light pink as if she were blushing. Thanks, she responded and nudged his head with hers.

Andromeda and Ted looked at their niece in wonder as her fur changed different colors. Andromeda took a seat on the couch while Ted and Remus sat down on the floor next to the two wolves as they sort of inspected each other.

It was amazing, the similarity between the two animagi. They both had soft short fur and were almost indistinguishable apart from the fact that Sirius was bigger than Euphemia and her fur would change colors. Her fur was currently a lavender purple since she was happy. After a few moments, the two shifted back and returned to their seats on the couches.

Andromeda looked at her with proud eyes from having accomplished such a difficult form of transfiguration. She gave her niece a wide smile, her kind eyes shining. Ted gave her the same look.

"So, what else happened this school year?" Ted asked.

Remus answered for her. "She got stellar marks in all of her classes," Euphemia blushed as Remus praised her for her grades and how well she had done this year, even with all the craziness that had occurred. "Dumbledore said that if she got good enough grades next year and took her O.W.L's and pass with grades above Exceeding Expectations that she would be allowed to skip straight to seventh year, maybe graduate a couple of years earlier."

"I'm so proud of you, darling!" Sirius said with a wide smile on his face.

"Thanks, Dad," she said and smiled back. They conversed quietly and soon the conversation fell onto the topic of Remus.

Sirius looked over to him with a curious look. "So, are you going back next year to continue teaching the dark arts?" He questioned.

Remus chuckled to himself sadly. "No, I'm afraid not. Someone may have ruined my chances of returning or finding a job for a matter of fact. They let it slip that I was a werewolf and it didn't go over all that well," he explained and fiddled with the hem of his sweater.

"Would this individual's name happen to start with an S and rhyme with grape?" He questioned, although he seemed to know the answer.

"You would be one-hundred percent spot on," Remus confirmed grimly. Sirius clenched his fist and then released it quickly, cooling himself.

"That man has always been particularly bitter, I wish he would lighten up and stop ruining everyone's lives," Sirius said and Euphemia just nodded, agreeing with that conclusion. They moved to the kitchen and started making dinner in comfortable silence.

Later that evening Andromeda and Ted left to go back to their small home in the countryside, making Euphemia agree to spend a couple of weeks with them this summer. Nymphadora would be home for a week to visit her parents and agreed to visit them that week. Sirius and Remus would both come with her, deciding to make it a sort of family vacation. Remus also left that evening, deciding he wanted some time alone after being surrounded by students for an entire nine months. Grimmauld place now simply held Sirius and Euphemia.

The next morning, Euphemia came downstairs in a sweatshirt and her favorite plaid pajama pants with her hair tied into a messy bun on top of her head. She always hated how her hair got in her face, especially in the morning, finding it irritating.

She peered her head around the corner and saw her father sitting at the kitchen table. He was casually reading the daily prophet and sipping on a cup of coffee. He was in a much better condition than what she had seen him in. He had worn old tattered prison clothing and a jacket that she assumed he had found lying somewhere, taking it to keep warm through the winter.

Now he was clean and showered and warm, wearing an old Nirvana t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. His once straggly hair was now at its usual volume and looking healthier. He had pulled it back into a bun to keep it out of his face and had his wand sticking through it. He also had several random tattoos scattered about his arms.

She shuffled into the kitchen slowly and Sirius turned around when he heard her approaching. He looked at his barely awake daughter and smiled. It was strange to have a sense of normalcy back and that he was with his family again. It was unfamiliar to the cold, dark, grimy prison cell that he had stayed in for over twelve years. It was difficult to wrap around his head that he wasn't stuck there anymore with only his thoughts to accompany him. He had his daughter, his best friend, his cousin and her family to care about him and be there for him and they wanted him there.

Euphemia stumbled over to him with a sleepy smile on her face. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck. She rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her in return. She squeezed him tight before pulling away and sitting down next to him.

"How are you doing, sleepyhead?" Sirius asked her.

"Sleepy," she said and grabbed his coffee cup before taking a drink. He chuckled. She was definitely his daughter.

"What are your plans for the day?" He questioned further.

Euphemia sighed. "I think nothing sounds fantastic," she responded.

"I agree," he said.

They sat at the table in silence for a while before Euphemia spoke up. "I missed you a lot," she paused for a moment. "I know I've already said it before, but I really missed you." Tears started to prickle at her eyes.

"I know, darling." He said and grabbed her hand gently.

She squeezed it back. "I know you probably don't want to hear about it because you're home now and you're here-" she started, but Sirius cut her off.

"I want to hear every single feeling you've had over the past twelve years and what you've gone through. I wasn't there for you back then, but I am here now. I want to listen to you, so speak away and I will listen." He said and Euphemia nodded, not knowing how to start.

She looked down at his hand and hers sitting on the table. "At first I was just scared because my dad wasn't there and he was being called all of these horrible names, but then I just felt really lonely once I started to grasp it. I'm aware that I had Andromeda, Ted, Tonks, and Remus, but it felt lonely because that one person you know you want to be there the most isn't. I know it wasn't your fault and you wanted to stay and that helped, but it still hurt like hell. And then all the other students talked about you like you were this monster when I knew you were the most amazing person." She rambled on and Sirius listened to every word, tears coming to his eyes as he knew he had caused this much pain on his daughter.

"When you escaped from Azkaban, I figured you would try to come and find me right away, but then months passed by and there was no word. Then after that night when I was looking at the mirror and you sent that book with the note in the front, it helped me hope that I would see you again." She finished and looked at his eyes.

He put a hand on the side of her face. "I could never forget about you, darling. You were all I thought about in that cell, the only thing. All I could think about was getting home to be with my daughter," he said with sincere eyes.

Euphemia nodded and gave a weak smile. "I know this might s-sound strange, but c-could you just hold me for a while?" She asked.

"Of course, darling." He responded.

They stood up and walked into the lounge over to one of the couches. It felt awkward as she didn't know how she wanted to be held. She just wanted to feel comforted and feel her father's embrace. Sirius sat down on the couch and Euphemia sat down next to him.

"I don't know how to do this," she finally spoke.

Sirius thought for a moment. "I know you're not a toddler anymore, but you used to lay on my chest a lot?" He suggested. She nodded, willing to try it.

He leaned back against the arm of the couch and swung his legs and held his arms out. She swung a leg over his waist and slowly laid her chest down on top of his, her head resting in the crook of his neck. She found it surprisingly comfortable and leaned into him. Sirius wrapped his arms around her and she sighed, feeling warm and loved.

She inhaled his scent of citrus and the woods and it brought back the nostalgia of her childhood. She wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed gently. He rubbed his hand over her back in soothing circles while the other rested around the small of her back. He would alternate between rubbing circles and combing his fingers through her hair.

The two eventually fell asleep like that in the lounge in each other's embrace. Green flames erupted in the fireplace and Remus walked through and was about to call out for the two, but saw them snoozing on the couch. A small smile flitted across his face before reaching out for a blanket. He walked over to the two and placed the blanket over them before walking upstairs to the study.

...

A few weeks into the summer off, the small family had apparated to a nice summer meadow. There were bees buzzing, butterflies flapping their wings, flowers starting to bloom, and plenty of grass. There was even a small lake a little further in with a small beach. They had walked up to the beach and sat down, laying a blanket on the grainy sand.

Euphemia set down a picnic basket that held sandwiches and lemonade for the three. They sat down and relaxed under the summer sun. Sirius let out a content sigh.

"It feels so nice to feel the sun," he exclaimed softly.

"I bet," Remus responded. They pulled out a couple of cups and poured out some lemonade. They grabbed the sandwiches out of the picnic basket and unwrapped them. They ate their small meal and started lounging. Euphemia had pulled out a large textbook that she had already begun reading and taking notes in. Sirius looked over at her after she had opened the book.

"What are you reading, Effie?" He asked.

She kept her nose in the giant textbook, responding a couple of seconds later. "One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. It's part of the curriculum for this upcoming year. I'm getting a head start." Sirius chuckled at her studiousness.

Remus joked. "Blimey," he paused. "You are just like us. One second your wreaking havoc on the school, the next second your studying." They all laughed together. It was quite accurate. Either she was causing trouble at school or in her personal life and then sticking her nose in a book and studying her days away. She was almost exactly like them back when they were in their school days. Except Sirius was more of the rebellious one and then Remus was the studious one. Combined they were the perfect combination and brains and danger.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Euphemia responded to the playful banter.

"How about you put the book away for a little while? Relax a little." Sirius suggested. She sighed, but nodded and closed the book, setting it aside and shoving it into her book bag she brought along. She sat back and took a sip of some lemonade. They relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, let the sun soak into their pores, and letting Sirius enjoy his time outside before he was to be cooped back up again. While she was relaxing, she had unintentionally started singing softly.

"I'm being followed by a moonshadow. Moonshadow, moonshadow. Leaping and hopping on a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow. If I ever lose my hands, lose my plow, lose my land. If I ever lose my hands, oh if... I won't have to work no more." She closed her mouth and sang on a hum. Remus was surprised she knew the song.

"Euphemia, how do you know that song?" He asked.

"I don't remember, I think I heard you sing it one time." She said and went back to silence. She closed her eyes and laid down on the soft grass. For the first time in twelve years, Sirius Black and his family were allowed to relax. For the rest of the afternoon, they spent it in peace, quiet, and sunlight.


End file.
